Our first meeting of the year will be August 21st, 2018. The last meeting of every month is a Pack meeting with where we all meet together and hand out achievements. The other meetings are all smaller den meetings. For your first visit, a den meeting is recommended. Contact us now for more information!

Who is Pack 285?

Scouts BSA Cub Scout Pack 285 is located in St Petersburg, Florida. Our all volunteer, non-profit organization has a rich program for children grades Kindergarten through 5 designed to develop character, leadership skills, responsibility, fitness, and a love for fun while learning. Pack 285 is a larger Pack, with ~35 active scouts to date.

Our Pack is open to all youth with modest annual dues and camping. Pack-provided Camperships are available to Scouts in need. Leaders and Committee Members are volunteers committed to providing a positive impact to each child participating in the program. Pack 285 actively reaches out year round to include more children in our program. Our Pack’s goal is to provide a positive, character building, low-cost extracurricular activity available right in our neighborhood.

Our Cub Master and Den Leaders provide a positive, enriching program for each Scout to enjoy. Our Committee organizes campouts, parades, recurring BSA special events like the Pinewood Derby, Pack celebrations for advancements, and more. Come check us out!

Costs

Important

The Pack is a not-for-profit organization. All moneys collected flow back to the scouts as awards and program costs.

Dues pay for awards. A scout that is not current with their dues WILL NOT receive awards at Pack meetings. If a family is struggling to pay for dues, they can request a campership in writing to cover their Scout needs.

Costs include three things: dues, uniform including book, and special events. The dues, uniform, and book cost about $200 combined. The uniform cost is a 1x cost. Special events consist of campouts and special outings, as well as events like the Pinewood derby. Derby car kits are included in dues; special outings cost $7 and up depending on the outing, and campouts cost between $15 - 30 per person depending on where we camp and who is providing food. Many of our events like marching in a parade or day hikes have no cost.

Pack 285 charges membership dues per school year. Dues pay for patches, pins, awards, Cub swag, application processing materials such as envelopes & stamps, adult volunteer background checks, and a small Pack 285 Campership program. Dues also pay for group insurance for meeting and camping activities, BSA campsites, 6 of which are within the Tampa Bay area, software and website services, training, and more.

New Fall Scouts - $115 (includes Pack t-shirt, camp cup)

Returning Scouts - $100

New Winter Scouts - $100 (includes Pack t-shirt, camp cup)

New Spring Scouts - $50 (includes Pack t-shirt, camp cup)

Uniform & Book

Pack 285 requires a minimum uniform. The uniform is an important part of making the program work for your scout. Uniforms typically only need to be purchased once over a scout's entire Cub Scout program from grades 1-5. The kindergarten uniform is about $30. All other grades cost about $80 (as of February, 2019). While we highly encourage you to get a uniform quickly, they can be purchased in pieces over time to help with costs. In the meantime, scouts should wear their Pack t-shirt. Scouts will need a new book for each year. The books cost about $10-$17 and are included in the uniform costs above. The rest of the information about what to buy can be found on the Uniforms page.